


A Happy Charm

by Affectiion



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 19:35:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8813554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Affectiion/pseuds/Affectiion
Summary: A prompt from the Under The Mistletoe One Shot Challenge:
The Weasley twins decide to try out their latest holiday-themed product at the annual Gryffindor Christmas Party.Each twin has a mistletoe charmed to grow itself over the head of the person they have the best chance with.They never expected both mistletoes to grow over one head: Hermione Granger's.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [underthemistletoe](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/underthemistletoe) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> The Weasley twins decide to try out their latest holiday-themed product at the annual Gryffindor Christmas Party.  
> Each twin has a mistletoe charmed to grow itself over the head of the person they have the best chance with.  
> They never expected both mistletoes to grow over one head: Hermione Granger's.
> 
> All canon character, plots, and situations from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling. I am not profiting from this writing.
> 
> Huuuuuge thanks to my amazing Beta.

******************

******************

 

It was the last Monday before the Christmas holidays. Unfortunately, that was the only good news Hermione had heard that day. Her latest project proposal had been rejected, there was a huge ladder in her stockings, her hair would not be tamed this morning, there were four more days of work left, and it was snowing. Not the fun, romantic, light snow that Hermione usually associated with Christmas, but a full, miserable snowstorm that was bad enough that she remained working at her desk beyond her usual finishing time, even though she had planned to be on her way out the second her shift was over.

 

Staying late at work wasn’t really out of character for Hermione. She often worked late, and there came a certain point in the evening that someone would come and chase her home. There seemed to be some kind of rotation that Harry and the Weasleys employed to ensure she didn’t work herself into exhaustion as she had in her final year of schooling.

 

Tonight seemed to be George’s turn, and he popped out of Hermione’s office Floo with a sparkle. Hermione looked up with a sigh when the glitter-explosion caught her eye. “Oh no, George! Glitter again?” She jumped up from her desk and cast a quick cleaning charm. Then another. And another. “You know glitter gets everywhere!”

 

“How do you always know which twin I am?” George grumbled, searching the pockets of his orange robes. “We’ve been testing some of our new products, and we just changed the formula for the Flitter - this was a test flight through the Floo. Looks like something went wrong. It’s meant to keep floating, not hit the deck…” he trailed off, muttering to himself, pulling a tiny green notebook out of his robe pocket, hastily scribbling notes with a miniature pink quill as Hermione tidied her desk, put her woollen gloves on, and adjusted her plain, but functional, black robes.

 

“Flitter? Floo glitter?” Hermione raised an eyebrow, interrupting George’s train of thought.

 

“Yeah, it’s a great idea - think about it, dramatically appearing in a burst of glitter! But I think we put in too much of the artificial pixie dust. Weighed it down.”

 

“That’d do it,” Hermione smiled, collecting the last of her things. “How did you draw today’s short straw? I wasn’t over working, I was waiting for the storm to pass.” She caught George’s disbelieving look, “I swear!”

 

“Not the short straw, love, just wanted to remind you that you promised to drop by the shop tomorrow to help Fred with the new candy cane formula. There’s something not quite right about the turkey flavour.” Hermione quickly locked her office and began the long trek through the Ministry to the Diagon Alley entrance, George walking briskly beside her. “Oh, and we’re throwing a Christmas party on Friday. Nothing huge, just the Gryffindors at the Leaky. We’ve booked the function room out back so we can showcase some of our new products. Plus, there’s a little side room connected to it where we can store everything we need.”

 

“Marketing trap for your friends, George? That’s a bit unkind,” Hermione laughed straightening her scarf and quickening her pace.

 

“They won’t care,” George grinned brightly, “we’ll be paying for the drinks!”

 

As they approached the main doors, George paused awkwardly. “Hermione, you’re not, well, secretly seeing anyone at the moment are you?”

 

Hermione shot George a strange look. “No, why?”

 

“No reason!” George brightened. “Just like to ask people random questions!”

 

“Where would I find the time anyway?” Hermione smirked half-heartedly. “Anyway, I had better get going while there’s a lull in the storm. Thanks for the reminder, now go home to Fred, and tell him I’ll stop past tomorrow after work.”

 

George gave Hermione a warm hug that lingered and advised her to stay safe and hurry home, and headed to the designated apparition point within the ministry. “See you tomorrow!”

 

Hermione continued on to the grocers and picked up what she needed, toting her shopping bags to the Apparation point, where she twirled on the spot, landing heavily outside the front door to her small house near Kent. Her bushy hair smacked her in the face and she turned to unlock her front door.

 

Letting herself in, Hermione set about putting her groceries away, changing from her robes to flannel pyjama pants and a loose T-shirt, and cooking dinner. She stood at her kitchen bench to eat, flipping through the most recent This Witch! Magazine, with such headlines as “Get fit fast! 20 charms to make you look thinner within seconds!,” and “10 spells to showcase your shoes.”

 

Once done, she flicked her wand to set her dishes cleaning, had a brisk shower, and dressed again in her ratty, old pyjamas. Another quiet night curled up in bed with her latest romance book lay ahead. Hermione tried not to be disappointed by this - of course, it was her choice to focus on her career and her choice not to date. Well, mostly. Apart from having no time due to her heavy workload, who would she date really? All the men at work were intimidated by her intellect or fame. Every blind date had been a disaster, every attempt at internet dating had reminded her that she could never really be part of the Muggle world again. Perhaps in the new year she should reassess.

**************

Upon arrival to Fred and George’s shop the next day, Hermione broke into laughter. “What happened to you?”

 

Fred stood there, resplendent in his purple jeans and silver winter coat. “Good afternoon yourself, Princess,” Fred grinned and gave her a quick hug. “And what do you mean, what happened? Haven’t you ever seen a Weasley with green hair before?”

 

“Not until today, no. More product testing going wrong?” Hermione pulled out her wand to cast a counter-charm. Fred gently caught her arm. “No, don’t bother, ‘Mione. I tried them all. This one we have to let wear off naturally.”

 

“Alright, if you’re sure. Although, I’m sure I have a book here somewhere…” Hermione trailed off beginning to rifle through her bottomless bag of books.

 

“No, no, it’s alright. I’d rather you focus on the candy canes - we’re running out of time to get them into the shop. At this rate, we’ll have to launch them next Christmas.” Fred ran his hands through his bright hair. “Thanks for coming in.” He waited until Hermione pulled her head out of her bag and met his eyes. “We really appreciate your help around here.”

 

Hermione flushed and smiled. “It’s really no problem. I love working on your products. Much more interesting than my day job at the Ministry!” She dodged the moving range of Weasley products and ducked into the back room to hang up her bag and coat.

 

She surveyed the space, enjoying the warmth and colours around her. She perused the bookshelves, making sure nothing was out of order, and absent-mindedly tidied the large workbench, readying it for her and the twins to get to work. She really enjoyed helping the twins out - the camaraderie and friendship was so strong between everyone who worked at WWW, including Lee and Verity. Of course, the more Hermione worked with Fred and George, the more she enjoyed it. They had a way of making her feel calm, and she loved that her studious nature had purpose - other than lecturing - and could be something other than stuffy and dull.

 

“Any other projects in the works that you want me to take a look at tonight? I have nowhere to be.” Hermione began to shuffle through Fred and George's notes about the candy canes. She grabbed a weighty book off the shelf and flipped to a well-worn page.

 

Fred leaned over the workbench to read the book upside down. “Ah, I see it…” Hermione trailed off and jotted some ideas down. “You can’t brew this until the morning sun hits the cauldron, and I’ll be at work then. Try this formula - follow it exactly and the flavours should be stronger.”

 

Fred sighed in frustration. “I’ve been working on this for a week and haven’t found the problem; you spend two minutes looking at it, and it’s solved.” He immediately perked up, “I know we’ve said it before, Hermione, but you should quit your job and work here full time. We can match your salary… probably.” He made desperate puppy dog eyes at Hermione. “Consider it. You know George would-”

 

“Probably agree with what you’re saying, but I’m not committing,” George interrupted. He grabbed Hermione for a brief hug and moved around the bench to bump shoulders with his brother. “What would George do?”

 

“Agree with me that Hermione should work here full time!” Fred raised his eyebrows at his brother. “Genius idea, yeah?”

 

“Gred is right, Princess, you should. Imagine-”

 

“We could be the new Golden Trio!” Fred set off a small set of fireworks he had hidden in his pocket (just in case), and he and George began an impromptu dance, hooking elbows and spinning in a circle.

 

Hermione laughed, and moved to the next work station over. She pulled her hair back into a tight bun to begin work on the next, more delicate charm.

 

“I’ll think about it,” she smiled, “but you’ll get tired of me!”

 

George caught her hand, and met her eyes seriously, “You know we’d never get tired of you, Princess.” Their eyes held for a few seconds and then he broke into his customary huge grin. “I mean, if we can stand being with each other twenty-four seven, then the addition of you would be an absolute breath of fresh air!”

 

As Hermione began to work on their semi-finished, newest romance charm - critical for testing prior to Valentine’s Day - they fell into their usual friendly banter, laughing and joking until their stomachs were growling for dinner. They ate together in Fred and George’s flat, and, after exchanging warm hugs, said their goodbyes.

 

Hermione returned to her lonely house, which always seemed a little lonelier after spending time with Fred and George.

 

***************

 

Friday rolled around quickly. Hermione left work half an hour early (she’d earned it, in her humble opinion) and began to get ready for the party. Her hair was straightened thanks to a goodly number of hair potions, she had dusted a light coating of makeup over her face, and her dress was from her most recent shopping trip with Ginny. The deep purple colour showed off her pale skin delightfully, and it showed only the barest hint of cleavage, instead showcasing her long legs under the short skirt. She pulled on her comfiest pair of high heels and Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, ready to help Fred and George set up.

 

Fred and George, dressed in Muggle suits charmed to sparkle at random moments, were ahead of Hermione. They allowed her to run over the stock and the plan, before grabbing her for an impromptu waltz around the small side room, wedged in between them.

 

“You know, you look lovely tonight, Princess” George smiled.

 

“Although this skirt might be considered a little short,” Fred waggled his eyebrows.

 

“Not that we’re complaining, Freddie,” George sniggered and spun Hermione to face his brother while he returned to sort out a bag of mistletoe.

 

The three of them moved into the large function room, ready for their guests - primarily Gryffindors and their partners. Fred ensured her glass was always full as she moved around greeting their friends, hugging, smiling and enjoying the close comradeship of her old House. While she certainly believed in inter-house unity, she did enjoy that sense of belonging found in the Gryffindor common room that she rarely felt as she got older.

 

When everyone had arrived, in a show that looked completely random but had, in fact, been completely choreographed, the twins burst into the room to show off their new work and reminded everyone of the limited shopping days until Christmas. As they bounced around the room accepting compliments on their work and catching up with friends, Fred and George’s nerves began to build. They thanked everyone for coming and left Hermione blushing as they sang their praises about all her hard work. Jumping down from the chairs they had been standing on, they looked at each other and nodded. It was time.

 

While Hermione was playing host, ensuring everyone had a drink, Fred and George strolled into the back room, preparing to cast the charm. Really, the test was a formality; they knew that Hermione had designed it and declared it a success, so it would work perfectly. But why shouldn’t they experience it first? The charm was designed so that when the it was cast on a particular object, it would appear over the head of the person they have the best chemistry with.

 

Considering the season, Fred and George had elected the humble mistletoe to stand in as their everyday object.

 

“Here we go, Georgie!” Fred grinned. “Time to find our perfect match!”

 

They cast the charm and watched as each sprig of mistletoe disappeared. George winked at Fred, and they burst back into the function room in a shower of fireworks.

 

It was the time of night in a party where the lights had dimmed and everyone was plied with good food and alcohol, so amidst the dancing and loud chatter people were taking the opportunity to cuddle closer to their partners. Harry and Draco had sequestered themselves in a dim corner and were gripping each other tightly as their mouths fused together, and Ginny and Dean were wrapped so tightly around each other on large chair it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

 

Fred and George paraded around the room as Hermione took another sip of elven wine. She definitely wasn’t drunk - maybe a bit tipsy, she thought. A very drunk Oliver Wood grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to dance to an upbeat song in the middle of the dance floor, where she remained for a number of songs dancing with all her friends. Even Ron had made an appearance before being dragged off into a corner by Lavender.

 

Hermione was in fits of laughter and eventually pleaded exhaustion to her friends and collapsed in a chair near the dance floor, gazing at the twins as they worked their magic.

 

To anyone who watched, the closeness of the brothers was clear. It wasn’t that they finished each other’s sentences - although they did that almost to the point of confusion. It was the way they seemed to orbit around each other, as though they were two halves of the same whole.  
At one point, they had grabbed Luna and both danced with her - Fred beginning a move and George finishing it. The synergy between the two was undeniable. Hermione watched them in admiration. How lucky to be so comfortable with someone. As she sat there, gazing at the Weasley twins, she found herself daydreaming about being surrounded by that energy. When she reached a point of dream-snogging, she snapped herself out of it. It was an often recurring fantasy - but as if it would ever happen! It was enough to simply be around them so often, she told herself.

 

As she stood to head to the bathroom, two shimmery sprigs of mistletoe appeared above her head, unnoticed until she washed her hands.

 

_What the-?_ Hermione began to cast counter charm after counter charm in an attempt to rid herself of the floating objects. Nothing worked. She left the toilets and went straight to the twins - they were the best people (apart from herself) to rid her of this random mistletoe.

“Yes!” Fred cheered upon seeing her, “I knew it!” He performed a little jig.

 

“Oh, dear,” George groaned. “What are you celebrating about? Now we need admit that we tested the charm without her!”

 

“Not without her, apparently, old boy,” Fred clapped and grabbed Hermione’s hand to drag her into the back room. He settled comfortably into a wide chair and watched, amused, as both George and Hermione paced forwards and backwards. He could see Hermione’s mind ticking over, quickly understanding what had happened.

 

He and George conducted a quick conversation with their eyes, ensuring that they were on the same page. Of course, they were.

“So.. but.. I -” Hermione began.

“Don’t overthink it, ‘Mione,” Fred began, “this is perfect.”

 

“How does this even work? There must have been a mistake with the charm,” she muttered, pulling her hair distractedly.

 

“No... “ George recalled a number of fantasies he had shared with Fred, “We’ve had a crush on you-”

“For the longest time-”

 

“And apparently, that’s for a reason. You know twins often have a relationship with the same woman-”

“And you’re ours!” Fred whooped. “If you’ll have us, of course... “

 

Without engaging her brain - after all, as George often said, that’s what got in her way - Hermione scrambled onto Fred’s lap. She pressed the length of her body against his with a quiet moan, his hands burying in her hair as they kissed passionately. The intensity rose as George pressed himself against her back. He began to mouth kisses along Hermione’s neck, his hands on her hips, holding her in place. He grabbed her hand, pulling her to stand so he could press eager kisses to her mouth, while Fred rose to repeat George’s prior action. George held Hermione’s face to his, and Fred began to drag his hands up her thighs.

 

Hermione sighed - it was if they were exactly where they should be. Although, as George quickly realised, they were not.

 

“We should get out of here,” he muttered into Hermione’s mouth.

 

“Yours or mine?” she pulled back briefly to ask.

 

“Yours,” the Twins said simultaneously, and the loud crack of Apparation was the last anyone heard of the three that night.


End file.
